


A Prophecy Fulfilled

by Sizarion



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Lightsaber Battles, Prophecy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 08:09:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8197325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sizarion/pseuds/Sizarion
Summary: Just a rather lengthy one-shot that displays my take on Revenge of the Sith if Anakin had remained in the light during the duel between Mace Windu and Darth Sidious





	

“He’s the enemy, Anakin!”

“I have the power to s-save your wife!”

The young Jedi Knight stood frozen before the pair, a stalemate in the form of crackling lightning against a humming purple lightsaber blade. The blue glow was blinding, but Anakin did not look away, entranced by the dancing branches of energy. The wielder of the blade was holding the hilt in a vice-like grip with both hands, struggling against the lightning streaming from the fingers of the elderly man lying on his back. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, usually a man of superb modesty and grandfatherly gentleness, was unleashing Sith lightning upon the Jedi Master. Anakin was conflicted in choosing who to help. Follow the Tenets that governed most of his life or help the man who understood Anakin’s childhood the most?

Anakin felt his hand shifting to his hip where his lightsaber was strapped down. He felt the end of his lightsaber shifting towards Jedi Master Mace Windu. Yes… The choice should be obvious. What has the Jedi Order ever done for him? They never ensured the safety of his mother, encouraging him to walk away from his attachments when that only bore more weight upon his shoulders. They never made him a Jedi Master despite his victories and contributions to the Republic. They almost wrongfully banished his apprentice and refused to acknowledge their mistake afterwards. Half of the Jedi Council owed their lives to him tenfold. Anakin shifted his attention to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. This elderly man was the only one who ever truly understood Anakin’s controversial upbringing, the only one who understood his personal turmoil regarding his violation of celibacy within the Jedi Order, and the only one Anakin trusted with his deepest secret of his affair with Padme.

And yet, the cold malice contorting the Chancellor’s face unnerved Anakin and made him reluctant in drawing his blade upon the Jedi Master, despite Anakin’s overwhelming desire to prevent his vision from happening. Anakin felt himself shifting his lightsaber towards the Supreme Chancellor. However, Master Windu turned the lightning bolts back upon Palpatine, causing him to close his eyes tightly upon the pain caused by his redirected energy. Palpatine let out a weary groan and he lowered his hands, the lightning dying away, as his head fell back against the ground. Palpatine’s face was now withered and sunken in.  
“I-I can’t hold it any longer… W-Weak… I-I’m weak…” Palpatine wheezed, breathing heavily. The sight garnered pity from Anakin, who found it difficult to gaze upon that face worn down and weathered. However, this pathetic sight did not move Master Windu in any way, who remained calm and collected before the Supreme Chancellor.

“This is over, Dark Lord. You have lost,” Master Windu said, glaring down at Palpatine. Anakin looked sympathetically at Palpatine. Anakin knew very well the piercing gaze that Master Windu possessed whenever something had tried him. “I will put an end to this once and for all.”

Master Windu brought his lightsaber back, ready to strike, before Anakin swallowed down his nerves and spoke up.

“You can’t!” Anakin exclaimed, looking at Master Windu. The Jedi Master raised his head and then stared at Anakin, completely dumbfounded at this. After all, Anakin was the one who had revealed the Supreme Chancellor’s true identity. Taking this chance, Anakin pressed on. “He must stand trial.”

Master Windu scowled slightly and shook his head, staring back down at Palpatine.

“He has control over the Senate and the Courts,” Master Windu spat. “He’s too dangerous to be kept alive!”

Anakin clenched his teeth before taking a deep breath.

“It is not the Jedi way,” Anakin finally said, looking steadily at Master Windu. “He must live.”

Master Windu flared his nostrils, tilting his head to the side as he kept his blade pointed towards Palpatine’s throat.

“Skywalker, I do believe this is an extenuating circumstance,” Master Windu replied, keeping his eyes focused upon Palpatine. “You’ve seen the war. All those lives taken, destroyed, and forever changed from the seeds that this man has sown.”

Anakin furrowed his brow, thinking back throughout the Clone Wars. Countless Clones, Jedi, civilians, local militia, and so many others caught in the middle. Anakin did not say anything to Master Windu’s response, conflicted. Instead, Anakin slowly lowered his head and closed his eyes, focusing.

‘ _I have never shown much faith in the Force, but please. Guide me. Guide my hand and show me what I must do’_

Master Windu was looking at Anakin with a steely gaze, waiting for a response. Anakin focused through the Force and then suddenly felt his hand shift to his lightsaber hilt, activating the blade and then thrusting it forwards in time to deflect a blast of lightning intended for Master Windu. However, Anakin was untrained in the matters of deflection and instead, the lightning was redirected into the young Jedi Knight instead. Anakin screamed as the searing hot pain enveloped his body and caused him to stumble back with his lightsaber still held before him, deflecting the lightning bolts everywhere in the room. Sparks flew from the ceiling lights that shorted out and scorch marks were burned upon the ground. Master Windu moved in with a _Shiak_ thrust towards Palpatine’s heart. However, this maneuver was immediately halted when Palpatine brought both of his hands towards the advancing Jedi Master instead, forcing Master Windu to raise his lightsaber to block the oncoming lightning. The change in targets gave Anakin much needed reprieve, causing him to crumble onto his back. Anakin smelled burnt fabric and saw smoke streaming from his robes as he struggled to open his eyes and fight through the aching pain that still lingered.

Through his blurred vision, he saw Master Windu engaged in combat against Palpatine. The speed of Palpatine’s strikes was blinding and such that it seemed as if Palpatine were multiple Sith rather than one, forcing Master Windu into a defensive stance. Anakin gritted his teeth as he rolled over onto his stomach and struggled to pull himself up on his hands and knees. Amidst the pain, Anakin knew that his choice was clear. Anakin managed to plant one foot flat upon the ground before swaying to the side and collapsing. He looked back at the battle in time to see Palpatine slide another lightsaber from within his sleeve and assimilate into _Jar’Kai_ . The increase in the number of blades further raised the number of Palpatine’s strikes, his red blades whirling through the air and disorienting Master Windu. Still, the Jedi Master still managed to hold his own with his Form III, though it was clear that the relentless attack was starting to wear out Master Windu. Despite the tense situation, Anakin could not help but notice the irony of a user of Form III being tired out.

As Palpatine dazed Master Windu with a hilt bash against his cheek and blasted the Jedi Master back with a surge of lightning, Anakin managed to push off from the ground with a roar to leap forwards and bring his lightsaber forwards to block Palpatine’s downward slashes that almost certainly would’ve been lethal to Master Windu. Palpatine was not surprised or taken aback, merely cackling as he reared back to avoid a waist-high swipe from Anakin. Concentrating through the Force, Anakin gripped his lightsaber in both of his hands before moving in with _Djem So_ , attempting to push Palpatine back with a more aggressive approach. However, Palpatine continued laughing and blocked every single strike with ease. The mocking laugh needled Anakin and he growled in frustration as he focused through the Force to enhance the strength of his lightsaber blows. Unfortunately, it seemed that not even the Force-amplified strikes could provide a challenge to Palpatine, who had decided to cease toying with Anakin and immediately move into an offensive stance. Anakin felt fear creep into his mind as Palpatine swung at dizzying speed with both lightsabers, forcing Anakin to revert to _Soresu_.

Anakin felt himself slowly stepping back towards the open window, where the wind howled and buffeted his back. In his panic, Anakin made a misstep, throwing off his defence and allowing Palpatine to graze Anakin’s shoulder and prompt him to drop his lightsaber before feeling an invisible Force push him back and send him skidding across the floor before going over the edge. Anakin grabbed onto the ledge of the large open window, hanging over the busy traffic of Coruscant hundreds of metres below. Palpatine stepped to the edge with a gleeful, sadistic smile upon his marred face.

“The Chosen One,” Palpatine said mockingly, shaking his head. “The Chosen One could not last five minutes against me. Jedi arrogance knows no bounds, it seems.”

Anakin felt his fingers beginning to slip from the edge as he struggled to hold his grip before spotting his fallen lightsaber lying upon the floor a small distance behind Palpatine.

“No matter. I will find another,” Palpatine croaked, shaking his head as he pointed one of his red lightsabers towards Anakin’s fingers. However, before Palpatine could strike, he suddenly danced to the side to avoid a purple blade and then retreated away from the edge of the building to attack Master Windu, who had just roused from his sleep. Anakin grunted as he attempted to pull himself up before seeing Master Windu be elbowed in the side of the head and thrown off-balance. Anakin pushed himself up from the ledge, using the Force to call his lightsaber to his hand. Anakin activated the lightsaber blade and somersaulted through the air to vault over, landing right in between Palpatine and Master Windu. Bringing his robotic hand forwards, Anakin held fast on Palpatine’s wrists in a tight mechanical grip, swinging his blue lightsaber upwards to cut off Palpatine’s hands and causing Palpatine’s twin sabers to scatter in different directions; one flew up into the air while the other skidded a considerable distance away. As Palpatine stared down at his smoking stumps and fell down to his knees. Anakin reached up and caught Palpatine’s saber, reactivating it and holding both this lightsaber and Anakin’s own lightsaber in a cross against Palpatine’s neck. A situation that was paralleled in Anakin’s own victory over Count Dooku.

“Does this seem familiar, ‘Supreme Chancellor’?” Anakin said with a smirk, unable to help himself from boasting. Palpatine merely laughed crudely, his yellow teeth showing through his withered lips.

“My dear young Skywalker, it is only the beginning,” Palpatine said, smiling widely. Anakin bit his upper lip as he stood uncertain as to what his next course of action should be. “Do it.”

Palpatine had practically spit the two words out in almost the same manner as when he had ordered Anakin to execute Count Dooku. Despite his self-doubt, Anakin uncrossed the lightsabers, sending Palpatine’s head rolling away from his shoulders. Breathing quickly, Anakin deactivated both of the lightsabers in his hands and let them fall from his hands as he fell to his knees. Anakin stared at the decapitated head, which merely stared back with empty, bright orange eyes typical of all Sith.

“What… What have I done?” Anakin said hollowly. His one final chance to save Padme from her fate was now gone. Right now, Anakin did not know what to do next. To him, it seems that Padme’s fate was now sealed. He felt a hand on his shoulder and Anakin was incredibly reluctant to look up, but decided to do so. Anakin saw that Master Windu had recovered from his ordeal and had the smallest hints of a smile.

“Balance to the Force, Chosen One. That is what you have done,” Master Windu replied in a voice that expressed long-needed relief.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this, mostly because of all the callbacks I'd reference from the trilogy and the Clone Wars tv series.


End file.
